Books Reviews by Paul Gipe
I have an extensive library on wind energy and energy policy. A number of these books I’ve reviewed over the years. Not all are in English, my native language. Nonetheless, I’ve reviewed some books in German, French, and Danish because I think it’s important to hear what these authors have to say about wind development in their countries.
The English Windmill by Rex Wailes–A Review
By
Paul Gipe
Ok, I am a windmill geek, have been for decades now. I work with modern wind energy, but my interest in the subject has led off in many directions, including traditional or “Dutch” windmills. I have a hefty collection of books on Dutch, German, French, and, yes, on English windmills.
The English Windmill Video by Martyn Taylor
By
Paul Gipe
Martyn Taylor has made a wonderful video about the development and preservation of the English windmill. Sales of the video will go to preservation efforts.
Martin Frey’s English Language Version of Baedeker Guide to Renewable Energy in Germany
By
Paul Gipe
Martin Frey’s wonderful little guidebook to the Energiewende in Germany is now available in English. Germany – Renewable Energy Experience Baedeker Guides. Frey’s book is highly recommended for students of renewable energy traveling in Germany.
Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator–A Review by Glen Estill
By
Glen Estill
Gregory Jaczko was an outsider. He wasn’t from the industry. But somehow he was appointed to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, eventually becoming its Chair. His 2019 book, Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator, exposes the decision- making processes used in regulating the most toxic substance on earth. It is scary stuff.
Wind in Sicht: Landscape in Transition by Ulrich Mertens, A Review
By
Paul Gipe
There are some books that simply bring a smile to your face–even to someone as jaded as I. This is one of them. There is a joy in discovering what the future may hold that comes across in Ulrich Mertens’ Wind in Sicht: Landscape in Transition.
Bürger-Windpark Lübke-Koog 25-Year Anniversary–A Review
By
Paul Gipe
Hans-Detlef Feddersen sent me a copy of a little picture book celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bürger-Windpark Lübke-Koog. He included a DVD video of interviews with the founders of the community-owned wind farm, the first of its kind in Germany and model for the thousands of projects to come.
Gårdmøllerne or Danish Farm Windmills–A Review
By
Paul Gipe
Benny Christensen knows his windmills. An early anti-nuclear activist and proponent of 100% renewable energy—a photo of him appears in Steven Borish’s Land of the Living—Christensen has now turned his attention to documenting the country’s long history of working with the wind.
Störfall mit Charme—The Story of the Schönau Electricity Revolt–A Review
By
Paul Gipe
The title, Störfall mit Charme, is a playful thumbing of the nose in German at the critics of a movement by citizens in a small village in the deepest reaches of Germany’s Schwarzwald or Black Forest to dump nuclear power and build a renewable energy future.
Geothermal Power Generation: Developments and Innovation–a Review
By
Paul Gipe
Geothermal energy is one of the dark horses of renewable energy. Few “renewable energy advocates” know much—if anything—about it. They don’t know what geothermal contributes today and have no clue what its role could be in a 100% renewable energy future. This is a grave mistake.
Comments by Bernard Saulnier on the Book Energy Democracy
By
Paul Gipe
In response to my review of Energy Democracy, a new book on Germany’s energy revolution by Craig Morris and Arne Jungjohann, long-time colleague Bernard Saulnier contacted me with his thoughts.
